Swedbank AB Raises Stock Holdings in Danaher Corporation $DHR

Key Points

• Swedbank AB increased its stake in Danaher by 4.4% in Q4 to 1,009,051 shares (about 0.14% of the company), a position valued at roughly $231 million; institutional investors now own about 79.05% of DHR.
• Danaher beat EPS estimates with $2.06 versus $1.94 consensus but reported revenue of $5.95 billion, slightly below analyst expectations, with revenue up 3.7% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share (annualized $1.60, ~0.9% yield), while several analysts trimmed price targets to around $230 and the consensus rating remains a "Moderate Buy" with a $240.70 target.

Swedbank AB increased its holdings in shares of Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR - Free Report) by 4.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,009,051 shares of the conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 42,695 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB owned approximately 0.14% of Danaher worth $230,992,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of DHR. Tyche Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Danaher in the third quarter worth $462,000. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG lifted its position in shares of Danaher by 25.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 366,481 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $83,895,000 after buying an additional 74,301 shares during the last quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Danaher by 49.4% during the 3rd quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. now owns 25,340 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $5,024,000 after acquiring an additional 8,380 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. increased its holdings in Danaher by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 664,705 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $131,784,000 after acquiring an additional 18,744 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Danaher by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 513,288 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $100,071,000 after acquiring an additional 22,595 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.05% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Danaher news, EVP Gregory M. Milosevich sold 1,320 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.01, for a total value of $274,573.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,099 shares in the company, valued at $1,060,642.99. This represents a 20.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 10.80% of the company's stock.

Danaher Stock Up 0.4%

DHR stock opened at $174.69 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $192.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $213.03. Danaher Corporation has a twelve month low of $172.34 and a twelve month high of $242.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $123.64 billion, a PE ratio of 33.79, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The conglomerate reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.12. Danaher had a return on equity of 10.91% and a net margin of 14.89%.The firm had revenue of $5.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.88 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Danaher Corporation will post 8.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Friday, June 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 26th. Danaher's dividend payout ratio is 30.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on DHR shares. Argus dropped their price objective on shares of Danaher from $265.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Danaher in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Danaher from $250.00 to $230.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of Danaher from $265.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Danaher in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $240.70.

Danaher Company Profile

Danaher Corporation NYSE: DHR is a global science and technology company that designs, manufactures and markets products and services for the life sciences, diagnostics, and environmental and applied markets. The company organizes its operations into business segments focused on Life Sciences, Diagnostics, and Environmental & Applied Solutions, supplying instruments, reagents, software and related services that support research, clinical testing, biopharmaceutical development, and industrial and environmental monitoring.

Products and services in Danaher's portfolio include analytical and diagnostic instruments, laboratory consumables and reagents, digital and software solutions for workflow and data management, field and industrial monitoring equipment, and service and maintenance programs.

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